Integrated circuits are usually produced by forming a plurality of integrated circuits on a semiconductor wafer substrate. The individual integrated circuits are separated by saw lines. The finished integrated circuits on the wafer are then separated into individual integrated circuits by, for instance, sawing the wafer along the saw lines or utilizing a scribe method. When separating the individual integrated circuits, a saw or a laser may be guided along the saw lines. In order to target the saw lines, the saw or laser may be aligned utilizing the pattern defined by the integrated circuits on the wafer.
The saw or laser may be guided on the top surface of the wafer, i.e. the surface of the wafer substrate on which the integrated circuits are formed, or may be guided on the bottom surface of the wafer substrate, i.e. the surface of the wafer facing away from the integrated circuits formed on the wafer. Particularly, when utilizing the bottom surface of the wafer for separating the integrated circuits, then the structure of the integrated circuits may not be detected reliably, potentially resulting in not distinguishing the saw lines from the integrated circuits and, thus, potentially missing the saw lines. This may even more pronounced if the saw lines are relatively narrow, virtually zero when utilizing laser-dicing, or almost zero when utilizing trench etching, or if the wafer comprises an epitaxial wafer substrate resulting in a milky appearance.